Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Walking around Barrio de Salamanca here in Madrid the other day I ran into these little guys. A fiberglass version of the Fiat 500. If you live in Milano, like I did, you probably remember seeing them parked all through via Montenapoleone during Il Salone del Mobile (or was it Fashion Week?). Have they been following me around? Who knows!... And while I ignore their true reason for being here, I think it is a nice addition. Even if only temporary.

You can find them in the cross between c/Claudio Coello and c/ Jorge Juan.

Jockey Club in Salinas. This is chiringuito style. Right on the beach. It has amazing seafood, cocktails and great lounge & electronic music all day!

Blue Marlin in Cala Jondal. This is probably a bit more upscale, but food + location wise it is totally worth it. Trust me ;)

My last stop was Barcelona. I arrived for the last 2 days of Sonar (Electronic Music) Festival. Not by coincidence of course...

This bit of the trip was more, ehr, party-centric... yet one day I did managed to drag myself around some of my favorite spots: Passeig de Gracia is one of the most beautiful avenues in the world (according to me) and where you can find Gaudi's La Pedrera and now also the Mandarin Oriental,which was decorated by design super-star Patricia Urquiola. A good stop for any design junkie!

Pics from La Pedrera taken with my HOLGA camera:

Also, the MACBA art & design (and so on...) bookshop La Central is a great place (...of course the Museum also is!). And since I collect postcards, I decided to share some of my new acquisitions here:

STURE JOHANNESSON

The Aquarian Planetarium: Day and Night - I Am You - Copenhagen, 1969RAIMUNDO PATIÑO

Home que Falaba Vegliota (detail), 1985STURE JOHANNESSON

Welcome bacl! For Ann-Charlotte, 1967INKworks. (This I actually sent home as a joke a few years back!)

Such a short stay in Barcelona left me with some important unfinished business:

1. The ROCA Gallery. A project that has been written about everywhere from Wallpaper* to FRAME.

2. NANIMARQUINA. Basically a modern rug brand. With a new 75 m2 shop designed by Architect Robert Pallí. Apparently the space used to be a car park. And it looks really promissing! (Have I mentioned before that I'm obsessed with rugs??).

I also read on FRAME mag that the area where the Nanimarquina shop is located, between Avenida Diagonal and Calle Rosselló, is the 'Epicenter of design in Barcelona'. So that's a good thing to keep in mind.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

I went to Amsterdam last weekend. It was FANTASTIC! I had only been there once before: A long time ago when I was only 18 and still relatively inexperienced in terms of design, fashion, cool hunting, clubbing or anything. It was also the middle of January back then and there was a snow blizzard. In short, it wasn't that much fun....

So going back to Amsterdam (during summer time) became a MUST DO! And I FINALLY enjoyed discovering this amazing city. Walking around. Enjoying sunny days. So as always,

I cross-referenced some local friend's advice with the Wallpaper* Amsterdam City Guide (which by the way I totally recommend getting the App because the printed version was seriously not updated!) and most importantly the Amsterdam Design Guide from Style Files, the design-focused blog from Amsterdam local Danielle de Lange (which I love and read constantly).

...I think I saw this during Fuori Salone in Milano earlier this year!...

Simply awesome!

So I wont get into what you should do or where you should go because the Amsterdam Design Guide says it better than I can. If you are a design-centered person anyhow.... But DO have pancakes (they are actually more like crepes), there are places all around the city and they are SO yummy!. Also, make it your first priority to take a day to walk around the 9 Streets. It is a lovely area full of great shops and cafés. And whilst you are there, DO have lunch at LUST, and by lunch I mean get the Lust Burger. Is is one BRILLIANT burger! : ) ...and DO go to DROOG, which I think is more like a concept store than a gallery. And walk around that area afterwards.

Around the 9 Streets:

BUT..... (and this is me coming clean)

I am a HUGE fan of Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. I stayed at the Mondrain Hotel in Miami last December just because he designed it. I bough (on LUMAS) a 'photo' created by him -my first real art investment!... and yes it is the image that's at the end of the right-side column on this blog. So not surprisingly, I went to Amsterdam with the secret agenda of going to Moooi's Gallery (his brand).

....I think these actions might classify me as a Wanders groupie by the way : )

And I believe the reason why I like his work and Moooi so much is perhaps the same why I like Moschino. They both share (albeit in very different ways) that same sense of fun and surrealism in their creations. And I always love to be surprised!

So here are the pics:

It was SO MUCH FUN!

The showroom also had a small selection of cool designy books.Remember the Chanel N.5 Ad that I posted back in May?.... Not so original now right? Ha!Living room...and I shall call her Penny!Collage

And if you are truly a Wanders enthusiast like I am, you might be interested in staying at the LUTE SUITES during your next visit to Amsterdam. Although located in the outskirts of the city, these 7 small houses have been decorated by Marcel Wanders and have appeared many times on design publications. I will be saving up for that!

I will finish up with this Moooi Ad I found on the back of this month's FRAME. I think it is so nice and so much fun. It brings me back to what I always say '1st rule: Know your Audience'.Most readers of FRAME have to be Interior Designers and Architects, therefore these cut-out images of Moooi's products are so perfect for including in such projects. And totally in line with the brand's fun and imaginative personality!

(Special thanks to Danielle from Style Files and her Amsterdam Design Guide. You made my trip!)